Imperius sat within the hall, Cleon was yet again hosting a feast for his followers and soldiers, and he had yet again been invited. During previous feasts he had managed to get by with little talking beyond what was expected of him, this time he had properly sought out Ghael, sitting next to him at a table adjacent to the high table where Cleon and his wives sat.
Ghael was a man, Imperius had to admit, that knew how to grovel. Ghael regaled him with stories of his time in slavery, how he had befriended Cleon prior to his seizure of power from the council that previously ruled Astapor, his story filled with plenty of anecdotes meant to convey Cleon's greatness and might, a clear attempt to color his perception of Cleon and maintain Cleon's good graces for Ghael.
It reminded him of plenty of officers from the Empire, always groveling for favor, or simply that the Sith they were groveling to wouldn't kill them if they wanted to, it was pathetic almost.
"Tell me Ghael, and please speak honestly…the King's wives, where do you stand in all this" Imperius spoke in a low whisper, the past week since his takeover of the street gangs had allowed him more time to practice his Ghiscari, and while he still needed to speak slowly and an his accent was apparently very distracting to others, he could at least communicate, to a rough degree, in the language now, allowing him to speak without having to drag Sirona wherever he went.
Ghael did not answer at first, he took a sip of the goblet of wine before him and looked around, as if making sure no one was watching them. Then he turned his head and leaned forward to whisper into Imperius' ear.
"In truth, I can't stand them. Magdarra is the most tolerable of them, but it is clear she has no mind for politics and is quickly falling out of favor with Cleon, for she has three times now failed to give him a son and has for the last two years shown no sign of a fourth"
Imperius looked to where Magdarra sat, and despite being Cleon's first wife, and the woman most referred to as Queen, she sat not to his immediate right, but to the right of Namokha, who actually occupied the seat to Cleon's right. She was a short woman, shortest of the three wives, but far from the thinnest, with short cut slightly reddish hair and rather plain features, she did not look like much to him, but he could see her annoyance, stealing glances at both Cleon and Namokha, perhaps she would be happier as the butcher's wife then as Queen.
"Namokha and Prazlozne are worse than her in every way imaginable; Namokha is cruel, vindictive, and holds no desire except for power. I fear that should she give birth to a son; she will use it as the chance to kill Cleon and rule through her son for aslong as she can."
Imperius turned his eyes to Namokha, she sat to Cleon's immediate right, she was an incredibly tall woman, her hair was long and black as night, wrapped in a long braid coming to just above her waist. She was certainly beautiful, the most of the three, yet her most striking feature was her eyes, a deep blue like the sea, they held in them that same kind of single minded focus and ruthlessness he was so familiar with, this was a dangerous woman, she would do anything to get what she wanted, and once she had hold of it, she would never let go, Ghael's words only reinforced that assessment.
"Prazlozne meanwhile, is a viper, and if the rumors are true, the child she carries is not of the King's blood…I have heard many whispers, and most say she spends a great deal of time in the company of Prighin."
Prazlozne sat to the immediate left of Cleon, long flowing brown hair, and a rather square face, she was not as tall as Namokha, being just shy of Cleon in height, nor was she as filled out as Magdarra. She wore a mischievous smirk on her lips, as if she knew the answer to a jape that no one else did, and if what Ghael claimed was true, she did.
Prighin was a familiar name to Imperius, he was one of Cleon's chief lieutenants, his command being one of the lesser pyramids in the city, the man himself was currently seated elsewhere in the hall, enjoying food and wine like the rest. He was a tall man, his head clean shaven save for a large droopy mustache colored red with dye. He wore large armor made of steel, a rare sight among the Ghiscari, which was adorned in golden livery, a large scar ran from the bottom of his chin to forehead over his right eye, which was concealed under a brown cloth wrap. If Ghael was true in his assessment, Prighin would certainly back Prazlozne should things turn violent, and likely claim the kingship for himself.
"Interesting, can I assume that is why you were the man sent to the court of Queen Daenerys. You do not support any of Cleon's wives and would certainly prefer if he sought out the marriage with Daenerys" Ghael nodded without speaking, insteading moving his arm in a small motion to another table, there was a gathering of offices near the back of the hall, they seemed tense and not truly enjoying the food and drink before them, instead locked in conversation.
"I see, like many see, that should it come to it, those women will tear the city apart if anything happens to Cleon, but the Dragon Queen? She wields more power than all three of them put together, and together we could crush Yunkai and unite all of Slaver's Bay under a single banner, something that has not been done since the fall of old Valyria, finally bringing an end to the masters forever." Ghael spoke with venom at the end of his statement, Imperius had almost forgotten he like so many was a former slave, with how well he now played the role of courtier. Ghael then turned his head and nodded towards a group of men near the end of the hall, court officials, hanger ons who Imperius thinks serve some purpose; he wasn't entirely certain.
"If you so desire, I can…introduce you tomorrow so some of these men, together we can advance the support for the union between King Cleon and Queen Daenerys." Ghael left it at that, and Imperius simply nodded. In the long run these men would not be the most useful, as he had already considered, they cannot be the foundation of his power, for he had no intention of tethering his power to Daenerys. But allies at court, no matter where they come from, were too useful to pass up. Additionally, friendship with the men who held the swords was always something to be cultivated.
Later that night, long after the end of the feast and everyone had retired to their chambers, Imperius exited the Great Pyramid. Instead of his mask and usual robes, he instead hid himself under a large brown cloak. While he disliked going anywhere without his usual dress, he did not want any further whispers of himself walking the city, and would instead walk in disguise, allowing him to act more openly as long as he was careful.
He did not take Sirona with him, she would only slow him down and with his growing understanding of Ghiscari, she was not needed for this. He would prefer that what he was going to say come directly from him, no risk of mistranslation or misunderstanding.
Tonight, he found himself outside a warehouse in the docks, where he had pre planned a meeting with several members of his Gang, those his agent within their ranks had determined most cowed by his power, but also most interested and reverent of him. He had chosen the place for two reasons, firstly he wanted to start the cult outside his own territory, limiting any direct connection and the risk of a rival gang wiping them out in a show of force, secondly it was abandoned, and he found that the few guards that patrolled the nearby streets easily bribed.
Entering the warehouse, Imperius found those chosen already inside, there were eight in total, five men and three women. He had not asked about them, that didn't matter, all that mattered was the fact he was going to moulid them.
One of the men, a thin and short freedman with long black hair tied behind his head, saw him arrive and approached, bowing as his hands began to shake, clearly, he was afraid, he practically stank of fear. The others quickly followed his example, bowing and saying praises of him, Imperius raised his hand, and they were silent.
"Line up all of you, your first lesson shall be learning the Sith code, and its meaning" They followed his order without a moment's hesitation, though they exchanged looks with each other, they were uncertain on what he meant, just as he instructed.
"Peace is a lie. There is only Passion. Look around you, do you see peace? I see chaos, anarchy, corruption and stagnation. Peace is both impossible to achieve, and a trap that many fall into when they pursue it. One must accept that there is no peace, the world is defined by conflict, conflict within oneself, conflict between nations, conflict between peoples and conflict between individuals. Those that seek peace have deluded themselves in seeking the impossible, for peace is a lie, and those that advocate it simply become stagnant and fail until they are overtaken. Passion drives everything, to deny our passions is to deny our nature, everything from a dormouse to a dragon to us humans are driven by passion, our base urges and emotions, that which defines us is our passions."
"Through Passion, I gain Strength. Our passion, that which we embrace grants us strength over those that deny it, and with it we drive to discover and understand, to expand our horizons and master our passions, all to gain strength. Those that deny passion fail, they become weak in will and weak in body, they, like those that pursue peace, become stagnant and doom themselves.
"Through Strength, I gain Power. With strength, we seize power from those too weak and pathetic to truly comprehend how to wield it, to pursue power is what makes one Sith, to advance and gain power is what all beings strive to do. To deny the pursuit of power, of knowledge, is the same as to deny passion or embrace the lie of peace, it makes one weak and stagnant.
"Through Power, I gain Victory. Wielding power, we achieve victory, but victory without proving strength is worthless. To stick a dagger into one's back proves nothing, and the victory is tainted. Victory can only be achieved when one proves their power over others, their power to destroy, their power to spare, their power to sacrifice and their power to make peace. Victory in totality must be won honestly, or you are no true Sith"
"Through Victory, my Chains are Broken. Once one has obtained victory, they are no longer enchained. Not to false ideas of peace, not to the weakness of stagnation, nor are they enslaved to the whims of others or to the masters who hold the whip. They shall break the chains that hold them back, back from freedom, from knowledge, from absolute power."
"The Force shall free me. The Force surrounds us, it unites all living things, by wielding it, by understanding the tenants of the Force and the Sith, it shall set you free. It was the Force that freed me, my power to wield it, it drew the Sith to me, and my chains were broken."
Imperius watched the gathered freedmen throughout his reciting of the Code and explaining it, he could clearly see the gears turn in their heads as they digested his words, they did not yet fully grasp what he was saying, but he could see some understanding, gleams in their eyes as they mulled his words over. This was good, very good. With enough work, the code would take root, and when combined with the demonstrations of his power, they would see him as the ideal embodiment of the Code, of the Force, of the Sith, and they would follow. Not out of Fear, but loyalty, fanatical zeal for his teachings, and from them his work would truly begin.
One of the slaves, a short woman with pale skin and brown hair, tentatively raised her shaking hand clearly, she was nervous and a little afraid.
"Yes, you, tell me your name and your question." He tried to give her a look of interest, he'd rather they not be so nervous asking questions so early on.
"M-my lord, I am Harala, and I must ask. What is the force exactly?" she stammered through the words, but it was an important question, one that needed the proper answer, and he gave it with a smile.
"The Force is a power beyond measure, it surrounds all living things, penetrates them, and binds them together. It is the source of my power, it was that power that gave me the chance to break the chains, I am a living embodiment of the Code and the Force." The freedman who first noticed him entering the warehouse raised his hand.
"Yes, your name and your question?"
"Adneq lord and can you…teach us to wield the force as you do my lord" Imperius shook his head at the question, taking on a slightly disappointed look as he began to pace.
"The Force cannot be taught like one learns to wield a sword or swing a hammer, it is innate to all people, but only those specially attuned to it can wield it. It is this connection that gave me freedom, for the Sith sought to grant all who wielded it the chance to become Sith themselves." Another Freedmen raised their hand, it was another man, he was larger than the rest, standing a head taller than even Imperius and was broad shouldered and had some muscle on him.
"Name and question?"
"Dragdein my lord, and this Sith you speak of, what are they exactly?" Imperius smiled at the question, he was not going to be fully honest with him, but he was going to enjoy answering it.
"The Sith are the living embodiment of the Code, it was the first Sith who devised the Code, coming to understand the world around them and seek to break the chains that held them back. The chains of peace, of delusion, of weakness, of ignorance and stagnation. The Sith wielded the Force as its purest embodiment, using their passions to strengthen their connection to the force, using that strength to expand their power, using that power to achieve victory, and with that victory breaking the chains that held them back. I am Sith, and while none of you can wield the force, I will teach you in the ways of the Sith so you may follow their example" His words seemed to make the freedmen pump their chests out, they seemed to take pride in the fact he was going to train them in the ways of the Sith, even if they could not wield the force, perhaps they saw it as some kind of mercy, or gesture of a powerful man, either way was fine to him, as long as they listened and obeyed.
The meeting ended after another half an hour of answering questions, he wanted them for the time to mull over his words and the Code as he told it to them. There would be time for more direct action and growing the cult, Imperius wanted to be assured of their loyalty and devotion first.
He did not return to the Great Pyramid, not at first, instead he walked the streets. It was one thing to have his agents report the situation on the ground, but walking about the city gave him a far clearer sign of how things were on the ground, and what he saw was not good.
The city was not starving, not yet, but many were forced to beg in the street for spare coins and whatever food others had to share. The gangs fought daily and corpses were a frequent site, disease would soon run rampant if something was not done. He wasn't going to do anything, not yet anyway. On Nar Shaddaa he had built the early gathering of his Cult as the Great Healer, providing a cure for the Rot that infected the lower classes of the moon, should disease come to the city, his power in the force could easily be wielded to treat the sick and expand his cult to the grateful, magical miracles worked wonders on enticing the obedience of the lesser classes.
Astapor was dying, Imperius could see it, Cleon was playing at King but truly did nothing to secure his power, most of the city was run by gangs and he simply feasted every day. He could not blame the man, nor anyone in the city. They had lived all their lives as slaves, treated as tools to be used and discarded when broken, now their masters were dead or underfoot, they could breathe free, and they wasted that freedom on parties and petty power plays.
It reminded him of how he was when he first made it off Korriban, he had gotten extremely drunk at that bar on the Imperial Fleet, and several times after on Dromund Kaas, Nar Shaddaa and Balmora. He had stopped drinking after Zash tried to steal his body, and while he enjoyed the occasional drink at mostly social gatherings, he had never drunk so much again. He vowed to never let himself grow so reliant on a vice like that, not when he was simply wasting away and not truly using his freedom, not like Astapor, not when Yunkai could be at the gates whenever it so desired.
Yunkai was growing with strength, Imperius was certain of that, if the masters of the city were as wise as their titles suggested, once they gathered enough strength, they would march on Astapor and slaughter the population, slaughter, not enslave, freed slaves are harder to put chains on the second time. Already he had heard rumors, Yankees envoys were going east, west and south to gather allies, reports of the return of slavery to the city and the arrival of several sellsword companies. Imperius knew what was coming, soon Astapor would be put to siege, he would have to prepare.
The next morning Imperius found himself, not in his chambers going over reports and notes, nor in the great hall feasting and drinking, but instead near the base of the Great Pyramid. He was inside a rather small set of quarters set aside for one of the men of court, Ghael had come to fetch him as soon as the sun began to appear on the horizon. Ghael guided him, taking him through the halls of the palace, leading him around guard patrols and into the room where a gathering of men awaited them. Three of them were wearing the armor of Cleon's men, commanders of the men patrolled and garrisoned the city, the other two were court officials who resided in the Great Pyramid itself, dressed in the fine clothes of the masters.
"Ghael, you made sure you were not followed, yes? If anyone learns of this meeting it could get us all killed" One of the court figures spoke, he was a thin man, he seemed on edge and nervous.
"Yes Ziknan, I assured you we were not followed, no one knows we are here" Ghael responded, taking an open seat near the door, he gestured to the only other open seat in the room, directly across from him near the back of the chambers.
"I can confirm, I would know if we were followed, and we weren't" Imperius spoke, voice echoing off the walls, he had elected to wear his mask for the meeting, best to hide his face and expressions.
"Then we can speak freely, Imperius, allow me to introduce to you my friends and associates, they like me agree that Cleon's current wives are ill suited for him. We all agree without action; things will fall apart. First is Ziknan, he helps organize Cleon's feasts, and oversees the servants in the Pyramid, next to him is Gizhehr, keeper of the keys for the Pyramid." Both men bowed their heads, Ziknan was clean shaven, the man didn't even have eyebrows, his eyes were sullen, with deep bags underneath them, clearly, he was tired. Gizheher meanwhile was a large man, fat and reclined in a large wooden chair, his hair was long and unkept and he was busy drinking from a goblet of wine.
"To your left is Endoz, he commands the men Cleon has patrolling the city walls, with him is Sredas and Asnar, Sredar commands the garrison at the Pyramid outside the Plaza of Punishment, Asnar is one of the street commanders, most of the men patrolling the docks answer to him." All three men nodded at Imperius, Endoz was the largest of them, broad shouldered and muscled, with a long-braided beard that was beginning to grey. Sredas was young, short hair and only taller than Zikan, he was almost comically youthful, but he had a look in his eye, he had killed before and would not hesitate too again. Asnar seemed nothing special, well built, average height and perhaps a few years younger than Endoz, his hair, held in a ponytail behind his head, had yet to begin greying, he wore a rather bored expression.
"There are a few others, but they are currently occupied elsewhere in the city on business for King Cleon, so they shall not be joining us, I can introduce you another time." Imperius nodded, taking in the five men he had been introduced to, they were a start.
"It is a pleasure to meet you all, you already know me so I shall save you the introduction and get right to business. As Ghael has said, none of you trust Cleon's wives, they are not good for him, for Astapor or for any of you, yet you need not tolerate them. You must have already all heard what Cleon offered to Daenerys, a marriage pact, he would set aside all three of them to marry her." Imperius paused for a moment, clearly all of them were aware of this, he had gathered it wasn't the most common of knowledge in the city when he first arrived, mostly whispered about in court, so it's likely Ghael had already told them, or they heard the rumors.
"Unfourtenly, the Queen cannot commit to a marriage at this time, not while she secures her power in Meereen, yet she has no intention to abandon Astapor, hence why she has sent me. The day will come where she shall marry Cleon, yet that day cannot come yet, I am to ensure such a day can come, and you gentlemen, can aid me in this endeavor" Imperius way lying out of his ass, he had no doubt Daenerys had no intention to marry Cleon, he was here because he wanted to be, not because she wanted him to be, but they didn't need to know that.
"Then when will she marry Cleon, we cannot simply sit around and wait for when she decides to marry him" Gizheher spoke, taking another sip from his goblet of wine, but before Imperius spoke Sredas spoke.
"Isn't sitting around all day all you ever do Gizheher, in fact I don't recall ever seeing you standing up, even when you were in service to the masters" Sredas spoke flatly, it was slightly unnerving the way he delivered his insult.
"Enough of that Sredas, hold your tongue, Gizheher asked a good point, we cannot afford to simply wait for when she finally decides to marry the King" Endoz spoke before Gizheher could respond to Sredas' insult, giving a glare to shut up, before turning his attention to Imperius. "My lord, I must second Gizheher's question, how long must we wait, because we may not be able to afford it."
"In truth I cannot tell you, the Queen's rule over Meereen is still fragile, and leaving the city to marry Cleon and marching on Yunkai is not yet feasible. That does not mean we cannot work towards ensuring the alliance and preventing others from taking power for themselves."
"Then I say we should get to work, already I've had to deal with Prighin's men trying to occupy buildings where my men patrol, he thinks he can walk over us because of his special little relationship with Prazlozne, we all know what he will do if presented the chance" It was Asnar who spoke up, looking around the room it was clear many shared his sentiment, just the mention of Prighin and Prazlozne was enough to make Gizheher pale and Zikan to fidget more then he already was. The rest shared looks, not of interest or fear, but slight annoyance, perhaps this was a frequent occurrence.
"Yes Asnar, we know about the men Prighin has told to occupy your empty warehouses, we knew about it during our meeting last week, and the week before that, and maybe even the week before that. Honestly all the times you bring it up are starting to blend together in my head." Sredas once again spoke, his voice just as flat as when he insulted Gizheher, yet the ghost of a smile was on his lips as Asnar made to reply.
"Oh yes, my apologies Serdas, I'll be certain not to mention at the next meeting, and just wait for when Prighin starts putting men in your Pyramid, you will then of course only mention it once and never again, right?" Serdas rose from his seat at Asnar's words, who in turn rose. Both men seemed ready to come to blows, but before they could Endoz forced his way between them, giving both of them a glare.
"Can you two both act like the soldiers you are, or must I discipline you like the children you pretend to be. We share a common enemy, an enemy that is already moving against us, we must act together without fail or else we will all end up dead in the gutter" Serdas and Asnar both looked at each other, Asnar grumbling something as Serdas took his without so much as a word.
"Now that you are done, I agree with Endoz, we must begin planning for what needs to be done. For if we don't, this city will collapse before Cleon marries Daenerys." Ghael took control of the conversation; they spoke of what they had under their command. Besides Endoz, Serdas and Asnar's men, several other street commanders could be called upon, but they had no allies among Cleon's guard, not among the garrisons of the other pyramids, and they had not even begun to consider allying with street gangs to try and offset their disadvantage in numbers, because of course they were outnumbered.
The force Prigzin commanded at his pyramid alone outnumbered all their forces, this gave him the means to single handedly defeat them if he wanted and Prazlozne was said to be gaining the allegiance of other officers in the city, with special attention to Cleon's new Unsullied. Imperius had asked Ghael about that, they were the boys of the former masters of the city, taken and forced through the same regime the original Unsullied had been put through, he doubted they would be anywhere near effective, but men with spears were men with spears.
Beyond them, Namokha was the next greatest threat. She had been bullying several lesser commanders, mostly ones who had men in the streets into supporting her, and if what Imperius had learned from his own agents, was paying a visit to the fighting pits, likely to gain the support of the other Cleon in the city. He had not shared this with the rest, not yet at least, he wanted to wait and see how things developed and if he could undercut such an alliance. Instead, he simply listened, commenting on occasion on the state of things.
Magdarra was not that seriously taken as a threat, they talked about her how one might discuss a child, and despite her personal friendship with many of the men in the Great Pyramid, they doubted she would have the will to act in a manner to secure power for herself and her eldest daughter. Instead, she spent most of her time with Cleon or her children, more and more with the ladder as of late. Clearly, she was falling out of favor and would be more of an afterthought should it come to it.
The situation was a powder keg primed for a spark, at any moment the factions in the city could move against each other, yet try as he may, Imperius could not prod the men around him to prepare to light it. It seemed they all viewed themselves as a more reactive force, ready to act to prevent the others from taking power, but not to take it themselves, if that was out of actual loyalty to Cleon, cowardice, caution or simply not wanting to risk it, he couldn't tell. This was hardly a setback, he was nowhere near ready for a takeover anyhow, if he had to wait to get these men into the mindset to act while he grew in power, so be it.
AN:
Started this one right after I released the last chapter, and I took to it with a renewed interest in the story and enthusiasm for it, I reckon I won't get another out for at least another two weeks unless I get another sudden burst of inspiration(here is hoping fate is kind and I don't disappear for a year) but I've already mapped out most of the major events and characters for the whole Astapor Arc, the finale and how I want it to go is still only half figured out, but that's in the future.
I also wanted to comment on something that came up in the comments, that being his cruel killing of the old man in chapter 7. It was very vindictive and cruel, cause Imperius, while he doesn't do torture or making people suffer slowly as he sees it as a waste of time and energy for little gain, has a special hatred for slavers, which has been fairly obvious. The servants of Astapor are stated both in the books and this fic to be the former masters, Imperius was deliberate in choosing a former master to kill to blow off some steam and choose an older master because he isn't in the business of killing kids, the only people missing this man are his fellow masters and family. Reading back, I didn't really make that all that clear beyond a single line, and in hindsight I should have had his though process for killing the man made clearer, hell even my brother on reading the chapter had to reread the section to get the whole "oh he is killing a master not some random person"